partners in crime
by lollipop1141
Summary: A story about how Ling Yao and Ran Fan first met and food...XP Better than it sounds. Please read and review!


**Another FMA fanfic! XDD I totally love this pair in FMA (other than Royai) and I feel really sad that there are only a few fanfics about them…Oh well, I shall add this fanfic to their collection!**

**I welcome you the prince of Xing and his bodyguard,**

**Ling Yao and Ran Fan**

***crowd claps, leaves stage***

* * *

_Pit pat pit pat_

A young nine-year-old heir from the Yao clan weaved through the rushing crowd of servants, a bunch of cakes and food in his arms as he chewed on a dumpling.

_Pit pat pit pat_

He had finally arrived in a deserted hallway and so he decided to make his way to the Royal Gardens.

_CRASH_

The boy had bumped into something…or someone. He got up, rubbing his head as he looked at the person that he had crashed with. All he saw was a pile of black clothing that moved. He grew frightened and grabbed for his food. When the person looked up, he was wearing a mask. Both of them stared at each other for a long time.

"You did not see me here and you won't tell anyone at all at about what I'm doing now, understand?" He ordered as he stood up to his full height, trying to act mighty while holding a bunch of food. The black form nodded their head hurriedly. The boy from the Yao clan grinned. "Good. Now, goodbye!"

And with that, the boy sprinted away, leaving the masked person on a deserted hallway.

=.=

"Now, behave yourself, Ling Yao!" a nanny voice told the child sitting beside her. The person nodded a serious face on as he looked ahead.

With a swift movement, the sliding door opened and Ling Yao looked at his martial arts master, Fu, in delight. He was an old man with a white moustache, a white band around his forehead and a black uniform on. Maybe he would be his bodyguard. "Young master, it's an honour to have come here."

"It's okay!" He blurted out, a little too happy. His nanny pinched him. He flinched and became serious again. "Are you going to be my bodyguard?"

Another pinch. He jumped and looked at his nanny accusingly. "That was a reasonable question!"

His nanny opened her mouth to scold him but his teacher held up his hand. "It is alright, Yuu Yao."

His master bowed before him and said, "It is my greatest honour to guard you, young lord."

Ling smirked at Yuu in triumph as she just rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. His master, however, had more to say. "I will guard you, but you shall have your own personal guard that will be with you every day."

Ling sat straighter in interest. Another guard, he says. Maybe it's those scary guards that his father always has around him. Since he was the twelfth prince of Xing and a candidate for the throne, his guard must be pretty skilled and strong. His master called out to someone behind him.

"Ran Fan, come out and meet your young master."

Ling Yao expected someone big and scary, with buff muscles, but what he saw surprised him. His bodyguard came out swiftly and threw themselves on the floor, bowing down low at him before he could get a clear view of their face. He was disappointed. His bodyguard was small and they seemed to be trembling.

"You may rise." He said. As Ran Fan sat up, Ling's eyes widened in shock. Ran Fan's black eyes behind the mask also widened in surprise as they both jumped up, pointing at each other.

"Ah! You!"

Everything froze as both the adults looked back and forth at them. Fu coughed. "Young master, did you two meet before?"

Ling realized that if he said yes, then he'd have to tell how they met, which would lead to him secretly stealing food from the kitchen. He composed himself as he sat back down. The other did the same. "No, I have never met him before."

His teacher eyed him suspiciously, but said no more. His nanny chuckled and he looked at her in confusion. "Why are you laughing?"

"We forgot to tell you, young lord, but your bodyguard is female."

His eyes widened in shock again as he stared back at Ran Fan. He swore that she was smiling smugly from behind the cover. "B…but girls are weak!"

This time, it was Fu's turn to laugh, but only slightly. "That may be true, but you have not sparred with my granddaughter yet."

"She's your granddaughter?" He looked at Ran Fan in awe. If she was Fu's granddaughter, then he must've taught her many things. He grinned at her and he knew that she was blushing. "I'll accept her!"

"Thank you, young master." Fu and Ran Fan bowed down at him. As they straightened up, Ling stood and stretched and then without warning, he shot off, opening the screen door and grabbing Ran Fan's hand, they sprinted off to the gardens. His nanny and Fu looked at the two children, speechless. His nanny laughed.

"I believe our young lord has taken a liking towards Ran Fan, don't you think so too, Fu?"

"Ah." The old man said disapprovingly. "I just hope he won't fall for her. When he becomes emperor, it would take much paperwork to change that law."

Yuu laughed again. "You can't guarantee that, Fu. Besides, if he did fall for her, it might take a while, but it is possible to change the customs."

His martial arts teacher just harrumphs.

=.=

"So…you are Ran Fan?"

Ling Yao and Ran Fan were up in the tallest tree of the garden and he was interrogating her, interested at the girl sitting in front of him.

"Yes, young master." Her voice was so soft he could barely catch on what she said.

"Are you pretty?"

She stared at him in confusion, wondering where this conversation was leading to. "I have never thought of myself as pretty, young master."

"It's okay if you're not pretty." He grinned. "You're my bodyguard now so it doesn't matter how you look."

"Thank you, young master." She bowed.

"If you're my bodyguard that means you obey my every command, right?"

"Almost every command, young master." She replied. He grew confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I may be your bodyguard, but the rules of the land also apply to me and it is of more importance."

Ling Yao looked at her, understanding and yet not quite understanding what she said. "Very well."

And with that, he fell on the ground. Ran Fan jumped down in shock and panic. "Young master! Young master!"

She landed beside him, shaking him, not knowing what to do. If he was dead, it would be her entire fault. "Young master, get a hold of yourself! Don't die!"

Suddenly, a growl could be heard from his stomach and a long moan. "Foooooood…fooooooood…"

Ran Fan's eyes widen in realization. She picked him up and propped him against the trees trunk as she bowed down at him. "I shall get some food from the kitchen, young master."

"Quickly!"

"Yes, young master!"

And with that, she disappeared. He stared at the place of where she was in shock. She had vanished like how Fu had vanished. He grinned. He was starting to like his guard more and more.

A few minutes later, she arrived back, her arms full of any food she could grab. Ling Yao's eyes sparkled in delight as he quickly gobbled down his feast. Ran Fan breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the young master had become well again.

Halfway through his meal, he saw that she didn't eat at all. He swallowed and scolded her. "Ran Fan, if you don't eat, you won't be strong enough to protect me!"

"Young master, it is not of my place to dine with you in such way!"

"I have no idea on what you're saying. But what I'm saying is an order. You must eat!" And with that, he pushed down her hood, lifted her mask up, stuffed her protesting mouth with a dumpling and continued eating.

However, his brain caught up on what he saw. He looked back at her, disappointed that she had put down her mask again, having gobbled down the dumpling with lighting speed. The ghost of her face was starting to disappear from his head.

"Let me see you under your mask, Ran Fan."

"W…why?!"

"Because I want to!" He crossed his arms across his chest. "It's an order. And besides, how can you eat with that mask on?"

"B…But-"

Ling Yao grew annoyed so he did it himself. He lifted her mask and took it away. As she reached for it, blushing, he leaned away, grinning. "You won't get this back until you finish this feast with me."

She scowled as she sat back down. He took a proper look at her. She was roughly around his age, her eyes black and skin white. Her hair was black and silky, a bun tied at the back of her head, long strands loose on the side of her face, and bangs covering her forehead. A long silence filled them as Ling gazed at her in awe. He grinned. "You are pretty! You are really really pretty! The prettiest girl I know, aside from mother and nanny. You shouldn't hide your face with your mask."

"But-"

"No buts! I shall make a new rule for you." he cleared his throat and said seriously. "You, Ran Fan, shall not wear this mask when we are alone together or when we eat together. If you do not follow this, you shall be heavily punished!"

Her eyes widened in fright. "Heavily punished?"

"Yes." He grinned slyly. "I shall give you a very heavy punishment if you don't follow my rule."

"Very well, young master. I shall abide with your rule." She bowed down before him and he grinned.

"Good. Now, let's eat!"

With that said, the two gobbled up the food, conversing with each other in ease (the prince doing most of the talking). Unfortunately, they were spotted by her grandfather and after that, they were scolded for two hours.

Despite that, they continued to steal food from the kitchen since they were both partners in crime.

=.=

"Young master, are you sure about this?"

7 years had passed and both Ling Yao and Ran Fan were eating the room service's food in a certain alchemist's living room.

"Don't worry, Ran Fan." He said to her as he gobbled up a chicken's leg. "I put it on Ed's tab."

Speaking of the devil, the Fullmetal Alchemist strode inside the room, shocked at what greeted him. A vein popped on the shorty's head.

"LING YAO!"

"Yo, Ed!"

"Get out!"

And with that, they were kicked out of the hotel room. Ran Fan looked at her master. He grinned. "It's okay, Ran Fan. Besides, I saw a decent restaurant on the other side of the street. We can put the meal on Ed's tab."

She nodded as they left with no guilty feelings.

They had done this before and they would do it again. They were, after all, partners in crime.

* * *

**Well, how did you like it? XDD I really love this pairing and I hope that many would write about them. ANYWAY, please review this story and tell me what you think! I would really love it! And if you want, I could do another chapter about them…XPP but only if you say so!**

**All in all, Thanks for reading!**

***crowd claps, leaves stage***


End file.
